Mr Monk And The Kitten
by enigma of irony
Summary: A story about Monk and a kitten he finds... he decides to open up to the kitten and share his feelings, while Sharona overhears.... note: turning into a 'shippy story, kind of
1. Chapter 1

****

MR. MONK AND THE KITTEN

Adrian Monk looked around the dumpster, careful not to brush up against anything. He knew he had heard a faint "meow" and he was going to find the culprit. He pulled his arm higher up into his sleeve and pulled away an old tire. Scrunched down below it was a small tabby kitten. His heart gave way. He stuck his hand out of his sleeve and picked it up. It started to purr, and Monk could feel it's tiny heartbeat up against his hand. He ran back to where Sharona had parked the car and was impatiently waiting for him. "Oh no. Not an _animal_." Sharona groaned. She unlocked the car and stepped out. "Monk! You aren't planning on taking that home, are you?" she asked with a tone in her voice that Adrian knew meant that she didn't like what was about to happen. "Well, actually, Sharona, I was. You don't mind him in you car, do you?" Monk said, getting in and stroking the cat gently. "Yes, Monk. I do. But obviously you don't care, do you." Sharona muttered under her breath. She stood outside the car for a moment, watching Monk with the cat. It was obvious he really liked it. She opened the door and got in. "I'm going to stop by the supermarket and pick up some cat food for you and your friend here, okay Adrian?" Sharona told Monk. He nodded, but she knew he wasn't really paying attention because all of it was devoted to the kitten.

"How about Kitty Kibbles?" Sharona asked Monk. "No, no. I think the Cat Chef Gourmet Meal is better." Monk said. "Maybe, but a can for the same size costs four dollars more! We're getting the Kitty Kibbles." Sharona said. Monk nodded, but snuck a can of Cat Chef Gourmet Meal into the cart when she wasn't looking. They walked past dog, cat, and bird toys. "Oh!" Monk exclaimed. "What now?" Sharona asked sarcastically. "It needs a - a toy." Monk said, giving a slight smile, realizing Sharona didn't want to be at the store all night. "Fine. It'll like the jingly balls, right?" Sharona asked, tossing a bag of four into the cart. Monk nodded. "Come on. I'll pay for this then we need to go. Benji can't sit in the car all night with that cat of yours." Sharona said. "Please don't refer to it as 'that cat'. It's name is Boris." Monk said. "Boris?" Sharona asked, raising her eyebrows. "Yes. Boris. It's Russian, if you didn't know." Monk said. Sharona laughed and rolled the cart up to the front.

Later that night, after Sharona had dropped Monk and Boris off at Monk's house, Monk sat on the floor beside the kitten and started talking to it. "You remind me of a cat that I had when I was young. Much younger than I am now. I was about 7. Maybe 8. Or 9. He looked like you, with tabby stripes and all. His meow even sounded a bit like yours. But then one night, my mother accidentally let him outside... he ran off to where some Boy Scouts where having a campout, and they even had a bonfire. One of the younger ones thought it would be funny to set him on fire, and so he did. I remember sitting there, watching my cat burn...." Monk trailed off, and wiped what was starting to be a tear from his eye. "I never had another pet. I had a turtle once, when I was 12, but it died the day after I bought it because it was sick. Everything I loved after that all went away... my parents died in a wreck when I was 16, my favorite aunt died from a heart attack when I was 19, and then I stopped loving. Then Trudy came. I loved her, but then she was gone so soon too..." Monk trailed off again, and turned around. Sharona was standing behind him. She had heard the whole thing. "You forgot the jingly balls." she whispered, and set them on the counter. Monk looked at her and shook his head. "Why does everything I love disappear?" 


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh, Monk, that can't be true. What about your antique cleaning set?" Sharona asked him. Adrian shook his head. "It's not quite the same." he said, picking the kitten up, feeling sort of ashamed. After all, what he said was only half true. Now there was Boris, and Benji, and then there was.... Sharona. He knew he loved her, but he just wasn't sure if it was in that special way or not. Come to think of it, it probably was, but Monk was to nervous to express that emotion because he wasn't sure what reaction he would get from Sharona. If it was a rejection... well, it would be hard to handle. There would hardly be anything left for him to live for. The only reason he kept trying, kept hope, was Sharona. If she rejected him his life now would be over. And he had worked so hard to pick up the pieces, and they would all just fall and shatter again if she rejected him. 

"I'm gonna make some coffee, okay Adrian?" Sharona said, starting up the coffee machine. He nodded. She was the only one who ever called him Adrian, and if anyone else called him that he felt out-of-place and uneasy. He stood up and sat down in an armchair, watching her bustle around the kitchen, getting out coffee mugs and straightening the rest as she went. He chuckled inwardly, because she knew if she didn't put it back to the way it was he would have to follow her around and fix it again. As Sharona waited for the coffee, she turned to Monk. She looked him in the eye and smiled, and he turned away.

__

She'll figure out my feelings sometime... Monk thought, _but it doesn't have to be now._


	3. Chapter 3

****

A WEEK LATER...

"I just thought you should meet my new boyfriend. Just so you know who he is. Okay, Adrian?" Sharona said. "Aren't you going to pick him up?" Monk asked. "No, no. He's already inside. He was waiting for the pizza." Sharona said. She stuck the key in her front door and unlocked it. They walked inside, and Monk headed for the bathroom. "I have to use the bathroom. Back in a minute." Monk shouted over his shoulder. Sharona nodded. A man rose from the couch and enveloped Sharona in a hug, kissing her on the neck and up her chin until he reached her lips. "Oh, baby, that feels good." Sharona whispered, leaning into the man. He kissed her some more, and Monk walked out on a particularly long kiss. He frowned when he saw them, because he didn't like the fact that Sharona was going out with somebody else. _'Well, why shouldn't she? She doesn't know how I feel..' _Monk thought. Sharona and the man stopped kissing, and the man turned around and smiled. "Monk." he said. Monk stared at the man in amazement. It was... _Lieutenant Disher?!?_


	4. Chapter 4

****

A MONTH LATER...

Monk sat in his armchair, looking at the picture of Trudy on his wall. "Why does Lieutenant Disher have to ruin my life? Why? I wish you were still here, Trudy. Then my life wouldn't be hell." he whispered. After a few moments of the room being quiet, Monk's doorbell rang. He got up, and answered it. Captain Stottlemeyer stood on the front step. "Monk." he said. "Please stay calm. We don't need any _more_ hysterical people around here." the captain said. Monk looked at the captain with a confused look on his face. "What? What's going on?" Monk asked calmly. "Sharona has been kidnapped." Captain Stottlemeyer told him. Monk stepped backwards, fell down, and fainted. 


	5. Chapter 5

****

THE NEXT DAY...

Captain Stottlemeyer leaned over the hospital bed. "Monk." he said, shaking Adrian's arm slightly. "Monk." he said again. Monk's eyelids flittered, then opened. "Where am I? Where's Sharona? And where's Boris?" he asked. "Monk, you're in the hospital. You fainted yesterday when I told you Sharona had been kidnapped. And I have no goddamned clue who Boris is." Captain Stottlemeyer said. "He's the cat. You got the cat, didn't you?" Monk asked. The captain nodded. "A rookie picked him up and is taking care of him. We didn't know his name was Boris, so he's calling him Kitty for now." Stottlemeyer said. Monk rolled his eyes. "Where's Sharona again?" Monk asked. "She was kidnapped yesterday morning." Stottlemeyer said. A look of worry flashed over Monk's face. "Lietenant Disher is gone too, and so is her son." he added. "We think the kidnapper might have had something against Randy, and figured out somehow that they were dating so decided to take both of them. Then Benjy somehow got in the way and he just decided it would be easier to take him, too." Captain Stottlemeyer explained. "Are- are they going to be okay?" Monk asked. The captain sighed. "Twenty-four minutes before they were kidnapped, someone robbed the gun store. We think it was the same person." he said. He saw the pain and terror on Monk's face. "We have every man in the force on this case, and the department from the next town is investigating, too. We've notified every police department on this half of the United States, and gave them a picture of Sharona, Benjy, and Disher. We've set up a phone line for people to call, and there are posters all over. All we can do is hope."


	6. Chapter 6

"Shut up, Sharona!" Disher yelled, smacking her across the face. "Someone will hear you." he said. "What have you done with Benjy? Tell me, _now!_" she screamed. She wouldn't stop until he told her. "Benjy is still in San Francisco. I locked him in your sister's basement. She'll find him when she's ready." he said, with an evil look in his eye. "She's in on this, isn't she? I knew it! That witch!" Sharona said, and Disher held a silencing finger up to her mouth. "Now, now, no need to insult my future wife." he said, grinning. "Future wife? You're _marrying_ her? You stupid bastard!" Sharona yelled. Disher pulled out a chair from a closet. "Be quiet and sit down." Disher said. "No. I don't feel like it." Sharona protested. He pulled a gun out of his holster and aimed it at her head. "Sit." he said. She sat. He tied her legs to the chair, then tied her hands behind her back, and stuck a piece of masking tape over her mouth. Sharona rolled her eyes. "Now hush while I make this ransom note." he said, pulling a pen and a sheet of lined paper out of a desk. He scrawled on the paper:

__

Monk-

If you want your precious flower back home where you are, come get her before midnight Saturday. After that, she won't be here. She'll be right next to Trudy in San Francisco.

-Disher

He read it aloud to Sharona, and her eyes widened. "I'm going to go mail this. You just sit right here." Disher said, stepping outside the room and locking the door. "You move an inch and you'll be dead _before_ midnight on Saturday."


	7. Chapter 7

****

WEDNESDAY EVENING

Captain Stottlemeyer dialed Monk's telephone number. "Monk?" he asked. "Yes, captain?" Monk replied. "We need you over at headquarters right away. We may have made an advancement on the case." Stottlemeyer said. "The Sharona one?" Monk asked. "Yes. Can you walk over or do you need a ride?" the captain asked. "I'll walk." Monk told him, hanging up the phone. He grabbed his jacket and started walking over to headquarters. 

******

Gail Fleming sat in an empty interrogation room, waiting for Monk and Captain Stottlemeyer. The door creaked and they walked in. She stood up. "I told you I have nothing to do with this! I don't know how Benjy got in my basement!" she yelled. "You're a good actress." Monk said. Captain had told him the story of the note and that Benjy had been in Gail's basement. "Who's your accomplice? If you tell us now, we'll try to lighten the sentence you'll get." Monk pleaded. Captain Stottlemeyer saw a hesitated look in Gail's eyes, then she nodded. "I'll tell you, but not until Saturday." she said, smiling a sly grin. "You know about the note, then." Stottlemeyer's gruff voice stated. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I won't expose Randy until I have to." Gail said. Monk shook his head. "Gosh, when Lieutenant Disher picked you as his accomplice he wasn't thinking clearly, was he?" Monk asked. Gail stuttered, realizing she had given the name of her accomplice away. "Lock her up." Stottlemeyer said, "No! Wait!" Gail said, fumbling for words. "I know where they are." she told them. "They're in Los Angeles. In an abandoned warehouse he set up as his headquarters. Saturday night he's bringing Sharona back to San Francisco, to the cemetery where Trudy is buried. If you don't save her before then, he'll murder her at Trudy's grave." Gail said. Monk blinked. Once. Twice. "We've got to stop him." he said. "Before he kills her. I won't be able to live if he does." Monk said, pounding his fist against the wall. A single tear slid down his cheek. 


	8. Chapter 8

****

SATURDAY NIGHT, 11:57 PM

Monk stood with Captain Stottlemeyer behind a large tombstone. The cops had Trudy's grave surrounded, with Disher and Sharona standing beside it. Disher had a gun to Sharona's head. "They ought to be here soon, Sharona, if your boss Monk really thinks as much of you as you think he does." Disher said, and Sharona just glared at him. "They'll be here. I know they will." Sharona said. She looked around, and saw a cop who hadn't hidden that well behind a tree. She smiled. "They just will." she said. All of a sudden three cops jumped out at Disher, and grabbed the gun. Sharona ran searching for Monk and Stottlemeyer. Stottlemeyer had ran to where Disher and the three cops were, but Monk was still behind the tombstone. She grabbed him in a hug. "Oh my God, Monk, I thought I would never see you or the captain or Benjy again." she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder. "Listen, Monk. We need to talk. Can we go someplace where we won't be disturbed?" Sharona asked, and he nodded. "How about Winky's, that small coffee shop you pass on the way to the courthouse?" Monk suggested. Sharona nodded. "Yeah. Come on, we'll walk." she said, dragging him along to Winky's. 


	9. Chapter 9

****

20 MINUTES LATER, IN WINKY'S

Sharona took a large sip of her cappuccino, then set it down on the round table, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "What did you need to talk about?" Monk asked, wiping a smear off the table with one of the extra napkins the waitress had brought. "Oh, I'm so happy this place is open 24/7." Sharona said, eyeing the coffee house. "Sharona, I can tell that's not what's on your mind. Why did we need to come here?" Monk asked. "Oh God." Sharona sighed. "This is going to be hard." she said, taking a deep breath. "Monk. Monk, I- I'm pregnant." Sharona said, looking up at Monk hopelessly. "I- I.. what happened?" Monk asked. "Before Disher kidnapped me, I slept with him. Oh, God, Monk, I'm gonna have another kid! How will I support them? How will I live? Oh my God I should just shoot myself." Sharona said. She pulled a handgun out of her purse. "Oh my... where did you get that?" Monk asked nervously. "I stole it from Disher. It was easy to get. He's so lazy he never notices anything is missing." Sharona said. She held it up to her head. "Goodbye Monk. Say bye to Benjy for me." she said, pulling the trigger. 


	10. Chapter 10

"Noo!" Monk shouted, leaping over the table. He pulled the gun from Sharona's hand and the shot fired at the ceiling. He sank onto the floor, and grabbed Sharona's hand. "God, no, Sharona! Please...I won't be able to live anymore if you're gone too..." he said, and he dropped the gun on the floor. He slipped Trudy's wedding ring that he wore to remind himself of her onto Sharona's ring finger. "Please. Marry me. I'll help you take care of Benjy and the other child... just don't go. I won't be able to live.." Monk whispered, looking up at Sharona with tears in his eyes. Sharona looked down at him and touched his cheek with one hand, and ran the other through his hair. "Oh, Monk. I- I- I love you. I want to marry you. Oh, God, please marry me. I want to be Mrs. Sharona Monk forever and forever. Oh, God, marry me tonight. Tomorrow. Soon. Please." she said, crying. Monk stood up and pulled Sharona into his arms. He wiped off her lips and gave her a deep, affectionate kiss. Sharona rested her head on Monk's shoulder and he hugged her for 10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days. Monk didn't know and Monk didn't care. The waitress called to them "Hey, we're closing for an hour or two because of some special event. I gotta lock up, which means you need to leave. Now." she said, and sort of pushed them out. Monk and Sharona didn't care, though. They walked home in the bright, clear light of the moon, together.


End file.
